The 2012 Cayman R

Bloomberg.com

Porsche discovered that less can be more—as in more buyers—when it stripped down its traditional Boxster last year to boost performance and create the Boxster Spyder. With this new Cayman, the Boxster’s hardtop cousin is also discarding weighty frills—like air-conditioning and interior door handles—and “the bloodhound’s diet” has given the roadster “more bite.” This lighter, faster, and pricier Cayman is for “the driver who likes a car lean and mean.”

Automobile

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“Porsche is not kidding” when it says that the R in Cayman R stands for racing. This lightweight 330-hp speedster “just begs for you to drive aggressively.” But there is a downside. This Cayman’s firm ride and “extra-firm, racing-style seats” could be “tough to live with” during a long day out on the highway.

The New York Times

Yet even if you opted to leave out the AC, the Cayman R would be “worth every drop of perspiration.” Features include a Sport Chrono lap timer that improves throttle and shift-response times, and a launch control setting “that automatically drops the clutch for perfect takeoffs.” This purist version of a modern sports car is no cynical upgrade. It reveals “the lasting beauty of bare-bones performance.”